ASU Blackout: Players Excited For Missouri Tigers Night Game On ESPN

The Sun Devils are focusing all their efforts on UC-Davis during fall practice, but we just had to ask several ASU players about the first-ever 'Blackout' game, planned for Friday, September 9 against the Missouri Tigers.

ESPN will broadcast the Pac-12/Big XII duel, giving ASU an excellent opportunity to showcase their new Nike-designed all-black uniform scheme.

During ASU media day, I caught up with some of the players to talk about the Black Out, and in the process got some interesting responses.

"Oh, that's pretty cool," wide receiver Aaron Pflugrad said.  "I'm excited that for the first time in ASU history we're doing that, and it should be an exciting game."

When I asked Pflugrad if he thought it was a good opportunity for the team to make a statement, his response was savvy. "I feel like every game is a statement game. You've got to get ready for all of them. You've only got 12 [games] for sure."

Brandon Magee, on the other hand, was a little more forthcoming about his thoughts.

Magee agreed that he was excited about the game, adding "oh, man, you guys should be excited too! I call it a Black Out Knockout because somebody's going to get knocked out that game. Get ready for the Youtube's - somebody's going to get knocked out."

Running back Cameron Marshall flashed a big smile when I asked him about the Black Out. "Those black uniforms are real nice - I can't wait to put them on."

Aside from the new look, Marshall is confident that the program is going to shine from a football perspective as well. "It's going to show people what we're capable of doing here at Arizona State," he added. "We're going to turn a lot of heads."

The players are confident and enthusiastic, and it's undeniable that the buzz surrounding the new black uniforms are giving them swagger when it comes to the much-anticipated battle with the Missouri Tigers.

That's exactly what everyone was hoping for.